Love is also about timing.
I’d say that’s one of the messages of this anime. I just finished rewatching it. I remember seeing it years ago — once on my own and once when I wanted my sister to see it too because I really liked it.
I forgot some things and I caught some things I didn’t catch when I was younger.
Toradora is a romantic comedy about high school students, based on a light novel series I never finished reading for some reason. It has a lot of tropes that used to be popular at one time — such as, the kind but scary-looking guy who is constantly misunderstood because of his looks, the tiny improbably strong tsundere, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and the model with a double personality.
Takasu Ryuji’s life changes when Aisaka Taiga accidentally puts the love letter meant for his friend, Kitamura Yusaku, into his bag. Taiga confronts him later that night, meaning to “beat the memories out of him”, but collapses due to hunger and Ryuji ends up feeding her and telling her about his crush on her friend, Kushieda Minori.
The two quickly form a bond — which in the beginning could be interpreted as them imprinting on each other because of their respective loneliness but you can tell this turns to love pretty soon.
I also skimmed through the comments under each episode which was — an experience, to say the least.
Some people actually expected Taiga and Ryuji to end up with other characters. It’s like, how do you end up watching a show which title is a literal portmanteau of the main characters’ names and expect them to end up with someone else than each other? Tora = tiger = Taiga and dora = dragon = Ryuji. That’s some deep denial there.
Also, even when Ryuji was promised help with Kushieda, his first and foremost concern was always Taiga. He goes way beyond on what he would need to do if he was just following her orders. He was perfectly content on not doing anything about Kushieda until Taiga pushed him into it and even then he was doing it for her sake, not really his own. Like, oh my god, you dumbass, you don’t chase after a girl for the sake of another girl.
Some people also asked why Ryuji and Taiga can’t just be best friends? But the thing is, you can’t be that close to another person who isn’t related to you (and heck, even someone who is related to you) and expect someone else to squeeze their way in between you — especially someone who loves you both.
A few people also wondered why their homeroom teacher was still single because “she’s so hot”. Maybe because of her own bad decisions in life? Also, she’s working as a teacher in Japan and as I’ve read and heard tales, teachers in Japan don’t really have a whole lot of free time. Besides, she could’ve only started to chase after a man and marriage when she was fast approaching thirty and the very real possibility that she’d die alone. Trust me on this, no one who is capable of imagining their life that far ahead wants to die alone.
Also, this could be based on the real phenomenon of women waiting until they’re thirty before they marry the first available guy who is willing to take them.
What I found the funniest moment in the show: the various speeches made by various characters which would never be made by any real high school student in the world.
What I found the cutest moment in the show: when Ryuji casually introduced Taiga as his wife to his grandparents.
As a final note, you can tell Ryuji never had any romantic interest in Ami. He likes her as a friend, finds her good-looking like any warm-blooded high school boy would, but that’s it. Get over it, people. You may like hot seventeen-year-old models but that doesn’t mean Ryuji likes them too.
Hiraeth 